


The Forgotten

by dylsmorley



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, Marauders Era - Fandom, Marauders-Fandom
Genre: Book 4: Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Brutal Murder, F/F, F/M, Family Secrets, Fluff and Angst, Vampire Hunters, Vampires, Werewolves
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-28
Updated: 2018-01-10
Packaged: 2019-02-22 22:41:19
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,018
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13176708
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dylsmorley/pseuds/dylsmorley
Summary: "Veronica?" he whispered.She straightened up as much as she could in the uncomfortably tight ropes, and sent him a lazy smirk, her fangs on full display. A smirk he had seen countless times before almost twenty years ago, and it made his heart drop to see it again.“Miss me, Moony?”Veronica Kade was three years old when her family was murdered by hunters right above her head, and she was taken in by Minerva McGonagall. She was eleven years old when she met four mischevious boys who changed her life forever. She was fourteen years old when she was the victim of a Time Turner accident and got stuck in limbo. She is still fourteen years old when she finally escapes and returns to her life, except now it is twenty years into the future. Veronica has some serious catching up to do. To make matters worse, the muggle hunter clan who killed her family, the DuCharmes, have begun killing vampires throughout the UK, and seem to be headed right for Hogwarts.Now, Veronica has to deal with her entire life being fast forwarded twenty years, survive a group of hunters hell bent on finishing off the Kade family, and compete with Hermione and Draco in every single class. What's a teenage vampire to do?





	1. Stuck Inside a Cloud

**Author's Note:**

> Hey guys! Here is a little taste of my new story, "The Forgotten." I hope you guys like it. Please let me know what you think! xo

She could see a kaleidoscope of colors surrounding her, the sounds of voices engulfing her.

She could hear her friends’ laughter, the same growls and whines that echoed off the walls of an old house, the angry tree whipping its branches at her, their feet smacking the halls as they ran from Filch.

She managed to catch glimpses here and there of moments from her life and then things and people she had never seen before.

The sound of wind rushing in her ears made her head pound and her eardrums pop.

She could still hear their heavy boots stomping up her old front porch, slamming into her old house.

She could still hear her mother and sisters’ yells as they were killed, murdered. The heartbroken grunt that escaped her father’s throat as he struggled against his captors, and then the wet sound of his head being brutally cut from his body.

She remembered the metallic smell of her family’s blood as it seeped into the floorboards and dripped onto her face between the cracks.

She remembered staying in her hiding place for days, weeks, or even months—she couldn’t remember anymore. All she remembered was sitting beneath the hidden trapdoor, in the exact same position, with her family’s blood crusted onto her skin and hair, and feeling herself desiccating as time passed.

Suddenly, she started to fall faster than she ever had before. The images surrounding her sped up and the air whipped at her face so harshly that she felt her eyes dry up.

Within seconds, all the images vanished as if they were made of smoke, and she could feel the air around her become cold. The images and colors were replaced with gray clouds and fog.

It took her a moment to realize that she was falling through clouds.

As quick as they came, the clouds disappeared and she was suddenly falling through open air. Below her, the quidditch pitch was packed with people in the stands. The pitch wasn’t set up for the games of quidditch that typically frequented the grounds. Instead, there was a rocky surface in place of the field. A very major difference was that now, instead of quidditch players and Madam Hooch acting as referee, there was a very large Hungarian Horntail dragon in the middle of the pitch and a tiny figure—it took her a moment to realize it was a wizard—shooting curses and jinxes at it.

The closer she got to the ground, the quicker she realized that she was screaming, which caught the attention of the crowd, who, was now, screaming as well. Of course, seeing a teenage girl in Hogwarts robes falling from the sky for no visible reason was bound to cause a bit of panic.

She flew past the tips of the flags, past the top row of the stands, and could very clearly see the harsh, rocky ground when she finally yelled “Arresto momentum!”

The weight of the spell wasn’t as strong as she had hoped, but, luckily, she heard numerous voices shout different varieties of cushioning charms and such that she felt her fall finally slow.

Her body hit the rough ground surprisingly softly and felt her body melt into it. She wondered how long it had been since she had laid down.

She could hear the Horntail roaring and spurting out fire somewhere near-by—could actually feel the heat of the fire singe the tips of her hair—but she couldn’t bring herself to care.

“Professor Lupin! Professor Dumbledore!” a voice shouted. The sound of running and someone sliding on the rocks beside her head shocked her enough that, when they gripped her shoulder, her body reacted on pure protective instinct.

Her head snapped at the stranger and her lips raised into a snarl, her fangs on full display. She had him by the throat, stopping any curses from escaping his lips, before she froze.

She saw the messy black hair, the pale complexion, the round glasses, but the eyes didn’t match her memories. Neither did the scar laying underneath his fringe.

“Incarcerous!” a familiar, yet unfamiliar voice shouted. Before she could react, thick ropes shot out of the wizard’s wand and engulfed her body.

She opened her mouth to shout a curse when she stopped short. Standing before her was a tall, thin man in a practically threadbare trench coat and tan slacks. She could see the faint lines of scars tracing his face, and a pair of green eyes peeking out from underneath his unkempt hair. She recognized this man.

She recognized each and every scar on his face and hands. She recognized the trench coat that a trio of mischievous boys—their boys—gave to him for Christmas their fourth year when he told the group he wanted to come back to be a professor. She recognized the same wand that she had once dueled against multiple times in first year when they were still “natural born enemies.” She recognized the sad eyes that stared at her, giving her the same baffled look when she turned his prank around on him second year. She recognized him completely, and she could tell that he undoubtedly recognized her.

“Veronica?” he whispered.

The rocky quidditch pitch was becoming very full of students, professors, and even parents. She could see flashes from Rita Skeeter’s dreadful camera from the corner of her eye. The boy she had almost attacked—the one who had everything except the eyes right—was not alone anymore. A tall, gangly ginger boy, another tall boy but with white blonde hair and a short, bushy haired girl had joined him. The girl had her wand partially raised, with the boy tucked safely behind her and a fierce expression painted on her face.

However, none of this mattered to her because she finally saw one of her best friends for the first time in what must have been years, except he was so much different than she remembered.

She straightened up as much as she could in the uncomfortably tight ropes, and sent him a lazy smirk, her fangs on full display. A smirk he had seen countless times before almost twenty years ago, and it made his heart drop to see it again.

“Miss me, Moony?”


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so sorry for the wait! I had planned to get this out sooner, but life had other plans. Anyways, I hope yall enjoy this! It isn't proofread, so please bear with me and point out any mistakes. Let me know what you think! xo

“It is physically impossible for her to be here right now. Her body is so exhausted that it should have given out years ago. Even her vampirism should have killed her given the lack of, er, sustenance in the past two decades, Professor. It is almost as if her body was preserved this whole time,” Madam Pomfrey told him.

Professor Albus Dumbledore had seen quite a bit of strange and entirely impossible thing in his very long life, but the young lady in the hospital cot before him must be the strangest. Veronica Kade’s disappearance twenty years ago has always been at the back of his mind, making him question how the young girl had managed to disappear from the Hogwarts grounds without a trace. He recalled how bright and well-liked she was during her school years, and he was certain that her particular friend group would have placed her in a few dangerous and questionable situations. However, those boys had always looked out for their own, and Veronica was definitely the only girl here at Hogwarts each and every single one of them would have died for.

“Have you spoken to Minerva?” Madam Pomfrey interrupted his thought process.

He glanced over at his old friend to see her twisting her bonnet in her hands, a worried expression on her worn out face as she watched her assistant, Lucille, doing a routine check-up on Veronica Kade. For a moment, he watched the vampire as she answered Lucille’s questions, wondering if she was listening in on their conversation with her enhanced hearing.

“I checked up on Minerva before I made my way to your wing. From what I could tell, Minnie is in terrible shock. Professor Lupin and Mrs. Potter was sitting with her for me until the others Apparate here.”

Dumbledore continued to watch Veronica and Lucille as he spoke. When he mentioned Minerva and Lupin, he noticed the vampire’s jaw tighten. Despite her nonchalant character, Dumbledore could easily tell that Miss Kade was under great distress on the inside. He recalled how worried and protective she was whenever her boys would land themselves in a cot of their own after a rather disastrous stunt. He remembered how her fangs would appear sharper than usual, her pupils would shrink into pin stripes, and her breathing would shallow out. Miss Kade’s true predator self would make an appearance, and Dumbledore sensed that part of her was right on the brink of appearing if she didn’t get some sort of explanation. The only problem was, how could they possibly be expected to offer her an explanation of sorts when they themselves had no idea what had brought her here?

 

~~~   ~~~   ~~~

 

Veronica’s jaw clenched when Dumbledore mentioned Minerva and how shaken up she was after seeing her long lost adopted daughter wearing the same fourteen-year-old body she had disappeared in.

She tried her best to focus on Miss Lucille’s questions, but she found herself wondering about her adoptive mother, her friends, what would happen to her. Veronica was, in fact, so lost in thought that she didn’t realize Lucille had walked away until the smell of blood invaded her senses and rid her mind of all worried thoughts. Instead, she could focus on nothing but the bottles of blood both Madam Pomfrey and Miss Lucille were holding in their hands.

“Professor Dumbledore thought you might be hungry. He sent word to St. Mungo’s vampire ward that you had returned, so they sent over whatever substance they could spare. I don’t imagine you would be completely replenished with just these few, but it would most definitely help you. I suppose we will have to supply our blood storages again,” Madam Pomfrey said, pursing her lips.

“Thank you very much, Madam. You can just set them down on the bedside table. From the disgusted looks on your faces from just holding the bottles, I can’t imagine either of you would like to watch me drink this,” Veronica chuckled.

Madam Pomfrey and Lucille both began assuring her that it was really no bother, but she held her hand up, effectively cutting them off. “Don’t worry about it. I may not have been around for twenty years, but I do recall how uncomfortable my species makes people.”

Veronica sent the two witches a reassuring smile, making sure her fangs weren’t on display and watched as they returned to Madam Pomfrey’s office before closing the curtains around her cot and giving her an embarrassed yet slightly relieved, “Shout if you need anything, dear!”

Shaking her head at the two witches, Veronica began working her way through the first bottle. As soon as the first few drops hit her tongue, Veronica realized how hungry she had been.

She finished off that bottle and had already drained three more before saying, “I know you’re there.”

Veronica had just placed the empty bottle back onto the bedside table when she looked up, directly at the spot she was certain three young wizards and a witch were huddled under the very same invisibility cloak her and the boys would hide beneath. When there was no response but the sound of their heartrates quickening, she quirked an eyebrow.

“Really? Are the four of you really going to think staying quiet is actually going to convince me otherwise? I can hear your bloody heartbeats for Christs’ sake,” Veronica said, rolling her eyes.

Finally, the cloak slid off their shoulders and their four disgusted faces appeared. It was the same four from out on the quidditch pitch.

There was the tall ginger boy with freckles and large blue eyes that, along with his nose, seemed to take up most of his face. The boy who was nearly as tall as the ginger had blonde hair so light that it was nearly white, and grey eyes that were squinted in obvious suspicion. The only girl of the group was positively tiny. By the way her shoulders were pushed back and chin as lifted in a confident tilt, it was obvious she was trying to make up for her short stature. The girl’s bright brown eyes and bushy hair somehow matched the confident way she carried herself and made Veronica smile. It reminded her of the way she used to present herself when she first arrived at Hogwarts and felt like she needed to prove something to all these wizards and witches.

Lastly, there was the boy who was a spitting image of dear, old Prongs. There was his messy black hair, round glasses, and slim build. The only thing wrong were the pair of bright green eyes that so closely resembled Lily Evans, the muggle-born James made a habit of irritating since the moment he met her.  

She hadn’t seen where this lot had made off to once Dumbledore realized who had interrupted the event by falling out of the sky and had shocked Moony so badly that he was practically paralyzed. Veronica was immediately whisked off to the hospital wing before she could utter a word or even see her mum. She hoped Mum wasn’t too bugged out. Veronica knew how easily worked up the older woman could get when things caught her off guard, and Merlin knows how the arrival of her long lost adopted daughter would startle poor Minnie McGonagall.

Shaking her head, Veronica refocused her attention on the four young wizards in front of her.

“So, how can I help you?” she calmly asked the group, leaning back into the pillows as she calmly watched the teenagers.

“Who are you?” the boy with white blonde hair asked. It was obvious that he, much like the bushy-haired witch whose hand he was currently grasping tightly, really hated not knowing. From the looks of it, and if the stench of curiosity and excitement that seeped off the teenagers told her anything, Veronica concluded that none of the younger generations knew about her existence.

“Well, what do you know so far?” was all she said.

The four looked at each other before turning their gazes back on her again. “Honestly, nobody has told us anything. We tried eavesdropping on Dumbledore, but all we got was that you’re a, you know,” the ginger trailed off as he focused his gaze on the now empty bottles on the wooden table to her left.

“I’m a ‘you know’? Well, I certainly didn’t know that was a sort of species now. Please, enlighten me,” Veronica’s voice dropped into a growl.

She stood from the cot and began slowly approaching the group. As soon as her body left the cot, all four wands were aimed directly at her heart. Veronica walked until the tip of the girl’s wand was pressed into the material of her worn Hogwarts uniform blouse.

“We’re not afraid of you,” the James look alike whispered. She watched him, watched the way his eyebrows knit together in concentration. If she squinted, Veronica could see the slight markings her hand had left when she grabbed him out on the quidditch pitch.

Veronica looked at each of them in turn, watched their faces show no sign of the fear she could smell coming off them now that she was so close to them. She could sense just how nervous she made them, which was definitely not something she wasn’t already used to from her days in school.

“That’s just it. I’m not trying to scare you. However, I do believe you might be afraid of the adults who are making their way into the hospital wing this very minute. If I were you, I would throw that cloak of yours on and shut your traps, kiddies.”

The tall blonde boy squinted his eyes in suspicion and had opened his mouth to speak but never got the chance to. The sound of the hospital wing’s doors being thrown open and the clamor of voices echoed down the very empty room.

Veronica smiled innocently at the four of them before turning to get back into bed and closing her eyes. She heard the rustling of the invisibility cloak as they threw it back on themselves before tucking themselves discreetly into a corner of Veronica’s makeshift cubicle. Moments after the teenagers hid themselves once again, the curtains enclosing her cot were thrown open and Veronica’s eyes lazily opened to see three men standing in front of her.

“Well, my day just got a lot more interesting,” one of the men said, sending her a familiar smirk. She blinked, not quite believing that the man who spoke was Sirius _fucking_ Black.

Of course, he was taller than before, but not by much and certainly not as tall as Remus was when she saw him out on the pitch. His shaggy black hair was up to his shoulders, and he was sporting a beard now. His grey eyes still dance with mischief, but, now something else lurked in his eyes, something much darker than she had ever expected to see in this man’s eyes. He was, unsurprisingly, wearing a leather jacket with a black t-shirt underneath, faded blue jeans, and bulky combat boots. Same, old Sirius Black yet not. Something else was off about him, but she couldn’t quite put her finger on it.

Beside him, a tall, skinny man with spiky black hair and wire-framed glasses perched on his nose. His eyes were the same hazel eyes she would always compare to the color of butterbeer, and his skin still pale. He was wearing dark blue jeans, an olive-green shirt underneath a maroon flannel, and black and white Chuck Taylors on his feet. When he ran a hand through his already mussed hair, a nervous tendency he’s had since they were children, Veronica caught sight of a gold band settled on a very important finger on his left hand. Huh, who knew James Potter did marriage?

Then, there was Remus standing beside them. He had lost the worn-out trench coat, and she was amused to see him in a green sweater with white animals enchanted to dance and play with each other. The sweater seemed to hang on his wiry frame. Her delighted smile fell into a frown. Even as a grown up, he never managed to put on healthy weight despite, Merlin did she know, how James badgered him to eat more like a concerned mother hen during their time in school.

“You’re a sight for sore eyes, Black,” she grinned.

“And you are a sight we never thought we would see again, Ronnie,” James finally said, his voice slightly cracking at the end.

Veronica felt her eyes tear up. She was finally with the boys again—her boys.

She leapt off the bed and into Sirius and James’ arms. Veronica was immediately enveloped in Sirius’ musky cologne and the smell of James’ overpriced hair products. It was slightly overwhelming, but she could not care less because Merlin did she miss these two.

When they finally released each other, Veronica realized there were hot tears running down her face, making her curls cling to her cheeks. She looked up to see both Sirius and James had tears running down their faces. Sirius scrubbed at his eyes with his sleeve, most likely attempting to not endanger his “badass” image. The bloody prat.

The sound of a hiccup brought her out of her thoughts. Veronica looked up to see Remus was staring at her, his sad eyes on the verge of crying, and his face blotchy the way it only did when he was struggling to keep it together.

“Oh, oh no. Remus, no,” she cried. The sight of her dearest friend in the world falling apart before her very eyes was too much for her.

She stepped towards him only to see Remus stagger back.

Her dearest friend, her first friend here at Hogwarts gave her a look—a mixture of sorrow, anger, and the most heart wrenching pain—and it broke her heart.

“Moony,” James chastised their friend. Veronica heard Sirius shush him, knowing that would only make the situation worse.

“Remus?” Veronica hesitantly whispered. She took another step towards him, and that ended up being a mistake. As soon as she made a move towards him, Remus turned and made his way out of the hospital wing.

The sound of the large wooden doors slamming shut behind him made Veronica flinch. She turned towards James and Sirius to see them sharing a look.

“He hates me again, doesn’t he?” she whispered.

Sirius sighed, fiddling with the zipper of his leather jacket. James kept running his hand through his hair, making it stick up in uncoordinated spikes.

Finally, Sirius spoke, “Remus has been through a lot the past few years. After you disappeared fourth year, everything kind of went to crud for Remus. We did what we could for him, but the two of you were always closer and had that understanding with each other ‘cause, ya know, of what you are. Plus, the next full moon is getting close, so all his emotions and such are kind of haywire at the moment.”

“Him and Peter actually bonded a little more, so he had Wormtail for awhile. Until he, uh, well, Ronnie, you missed quite a bit in twenty years. You see, Peter is dead. That bloke, Voldemort, he was after my boy, and Peter and Sirius were our secret keepers. Voldemort tortured the two of them so badly that Peter ended up dying about a week or so in. Sirius kept his mouth shut, and we managed to get him out. Eventually, he still found us and almost got Harry. If it wasn’t for Dumbledore, Harry wouldn’t be alive and my Lily and I wouldn’t be watching him grow up,” James explained.

Veronica recognized the name Voldemort. She remembered hearing her mum have hushed conversations about him with Dumbledore and the other professors. She would see newspaper articles and hear students talk about what they’ve heard their parents say about Voldemort and his followers’ the Death Eaters’ views. Veronica never thought that he would actually get very far, but it seems she was wrong.

Sirius was gazing out the large widow that looked out to The Great Lake. He was rubbing at the back of his neck where Veronica could see thick white scars hidden under his thick waves. They trailed down his collarbone and disappeared underneath the collar of his shirt.

She finally realized what was off about him. Sirius had scars, white gashing lines on all the pieces of flesh she could see. When he turned his head a certain way, she could catch faded scars on his cheeks, and his nose appeared to be crooked as if was broken and wasn’t set correctly.

Veronica turned towards James, who was watching his best friend rub at the long-gone wounds and cuts. There was so much pain on his face that Veronica didn’t know what to do. James was always the mother hen, taking care of all of them. She rarely ever saw him angry or upset, and, when she did, it was usually directed at her for getting into trouble or risking her life. She’s never had to comfort him before.

“Excuse me, Mr. Potter? Your wife has sent word. She said she can’t find your son anywhere…” Miss Lucille trailed off. The young nurse’s assistant was standing in the open curtain awkwardly, trying her hardest to ignore the obvious tension.

“What? Shouldn’t he be here in the castle?” James whirled around. His eyes were wide, and Veronica could sense his panic slowly rising. Even Sirius, who was so lost in thought, had took in her words and was growing worried.

“Uh, guys?” Veronica interrupted James’ verbal attack on Miss Lucille as he bombarded the poor woman with questions that she had no clue how to answer.

When both men focused on Veronica, she saw Miss Lucille send her a grateful look before hurrying away back into Madam Pomfrey’s office.

“ _Accio invisibility cloak!_ ” she said, her hand outstretched. Within seconds, they heard a wooshing sound and a harsh curse came from one of the members of the group that were still huddled together.

“Harry James Potter! What the blazes do you think you’re doing spying on Veronica? And the rest of you? Seriously, Hermione, I thought you were better than this!” James shouted. He strode over to the four young wizards with his hands on his hips. They actually had the audacity to look afraid of James, and it made Veronica want to laugh.

She went over to sit beside Sirius, who had perched on the edge of her hospital bed as he watched his best friend scold the teenagers. Veronica stared at Sirius, traced the old scars with her eyes, wishing this man never had to endure everything he did.

“Remember when he used to yell at us like that?” Veronica whispered in his ear. She heard him snort, his eyes still on James and the younger wizards.

“Do you remember how much he yelled at us after we almost set his hair on fire when we were throwing fireballs around? His eyebrows took weeks to grow back, and they were never the same since,” Sirius whispered back to her.

The pair stared at their friend as he bitched out his son and his friends. James was waving his hands around, pacing back and forth, when Veronica caught a glimpse of his forever screwed up eyebrows.

She tried her best to hold her laughter in, but it wasn’t long until Sirius was cracking up beside her, making her giggles seep out. They tried their best to muffle their laughter, but James still heard their sniggers and whirled around with his eyes blazing and hair looking distinctly like a cockatoo’s.

His wild-eyed expression only made the pair laugh harder. Veronica felt tears, joyous tears, running down her face. Sirius was looking positively red in the face and had gotten to the point of wheezing. She was leaning heavily on his shoulder, and Sirius had leaned forward, covering his red face with his hands as his entire body shook.

James’ expression melted into a rueful smile. The teenagers behind him all wore matching bewildered expressions as they were obviously confused as to why the strange girl who fell from the sky and Sirius Black were in hysterics.

“And what, pray tell, might you two be giggling about?” James asked. Sirius and her both glanced up as James stood to move in front of them, hands still on his hips.

They gazed up at him, took notice of his eyebrows, glanced back at each other before falling into hysterics once again.

“How can you do magic if you don’t have a wand? You don’t look old enough to be wielding wandless magic,” the bushy-haired girl burst out.

Veronica quieted down and smoothed her curly haired mess back. Beside her, Sirius had grabbed the pillow from the head of the bed and covered his face with it in a pathetic attempt to quiet down his laughter.

She rolled her eyes at the moron. “Okay, first of all, who are you four?”

James cleared his throat.

“Veronica, this is my troublesome son and his three friends.”

“Well, honestly, James. I could have figured out he was your son even if I was as blind as you. And, who are you to talk about being troublesome? Most of the time, you and this bloke,” Veronica slapped Sirius’ leg, “were the ones getting us into trouble. Apple doesn’t fall far from the tree, huh?”

“Merlin. She handles your dad the same way your mum does, Harry,” the ginger boy whispered.

“Oi! Who are you calling a bloke, you leech?” Sirius crowed.

He chunked the pillow at Veronica’s face. She raised a hand and stopped it in midair with a mumbled “ _Repello” charm._ Then, with a flick of her wrist, the pillow shot back and slammed into Sirius’ chest.

“Some things never change,” Veronica said to herself, shaking her head. “Anyways, James, who are these little ones?”

“What do you mean ‘little ones’? You don’t look any older than us!” the blonde one exclaimed.

Veronica raised an eyebrow at his words. “True. I might not look older, but I can guarantee you I’ve got years on you. Now, let me guess. Extremely blonde hair, the arrogant way you seem to carry yourself, by the dark look in your eyes, I’m guessing you grew up in a harsh environment and have seen some pretty heavy stuff. I’m going to have to go with a Malfoy or possibly a Black?”

“Excuse you! I’m a Malfoy. Draco Malfoy,” he shouted indignantly.

“That was my first guess. Now, the ginger.” Veronica stood, smoothing down her pleated uniform skirt, and slowly walked towards the group. Once again, they tensed, the girl and Draco both reached for their wands but didn’t raise them. Veronica made eye contact with the ginger haired boy, slightly tilting her head. “Red hair and very distinct sky-blue eyes. Most definitely a Weasley. Lovely, I’ve always loved that family.”

The Weasley boy let out a relieved breath. He nodded, “My name’s Ron Wesley.”

Veronica smiled kindly at him before turning to the girl.

“I can stop you right there. You won’t be able to distinguish my family. I’m not—. “

“Of the wizarding world? Yes, I can tell. Muggle born blood has a very, um, specific smell. You see, wizard blood tends to smell musky and slightly like pine needles. That’s because of the magic. Muggle born wizards, on the other hand, well, their blood smells cleaner. I don’t think there’s any particular thing it smells like,” she trailed off when Sirius and James both cleared their throats. Veronica glanced at the young wizards' disgusted faces and felt herself flush.

“I apologize. I forget that this isn’t something most people normally talk about. You see, my mum always wanted me to feel free to talk about things like that as I grew up because she didn’t want me to feel ostracized by what I am. Then, the Marauders always urged me to feel perfectly comfortable with who I am, the same way we did with Remus. I’m so sorry if I made you uncomfortable,” Veronica trailed off.

“Hermione,” the bushy haired girl said softly, her nose still wrinkled in disgust.

Things got very awkward as the group had all fallen silent. No one seemed to know what to say.

Veronica was silently cursing herself for freaking out the teenagers when Hermione spoke, “You never answered my question. Why don’t you have a wand?”

“When my mum took me to Ollivander’s before my first year, we tried testing out wands for hours, but none of them chose me. Mr. Ollivander said that sometimes, my species can’t wield wands because the wand can’t, uh, well, they can’t sense our souls. When one of my kind is born as a vampire rather than bitten or being born to a vamp and a human, they can use a wand then. However, I was a rare case. I had magic, both Ollivander and my mother were sure of that. I just would never be able to use a wand, so I accepted that. My mum helped me learn wandless magic, so that’s how I cast charms and whatnot.”

Hermione and the boys looked like they all had questions to ask her, but, before they could, Madam Pomfrey and Miss Lucille appeared in the curtain’s opening.

“Veronica, Professor Dumbledore says he would like to speak with you in his office. Your mother is outside waiting for you,” Madam Pomfrey announced, smiling at her.

She smiled back. “Thank you, ma’am. I’ll get out of your hair now!”

The two women laughed and said their farewell to the group before turning to return to the office.

Veronica sat on the hospital cot once more to slip her combat boots onto her feet and grab her old school robe. She handed the invisibility cloak to Harry.

“I believe this belongs to you,” she said as she sent James’ son a smirk.

Harry had the decency to look sheepish. “Sorry about spying on you. It’s not every day a girl falls out of the sky.”

James let out an exasperated sigh. “Oh, come on. James, you know damn well that would have been us coming to investigate the bloodsucker if this had happened during our Hogwarts years,” Sirius argued.

Veronica shoved past him and sent a half-hearted “Fuck you” his way. The sound of his loud laugh followed Veronica as she strode out of her compartment and headed towards the wooden doors at the end of the hospital wing. Her boots slightly squeaked against the marble floors. She could hear the others’ footsteps following behind her.

She had gotten to the large doors before abruptly stopping, her hand on the doorknob. Veronica whirled around to meet James and Sirius’ eyes.

“I can’t. What if she doesn’t want me anymore? Or what if she hates me for disappearing? Or—?”

“Oh, don’t give me that! Veronica, you know your mother would never do any of those things. You didn’t see how she was after you disappeared, which you still haven’t explained to us by the way. Anyways, she was deadest on finding you. It took her years to stop obsessing about it, but I know for a fact that she never stopped looking. And if she handled you and all our troublemaking in stride, I can guarantee this mess will be nothing.”

Sirius grinned at James’ words. “Prongs is right. Now, I have seen you jump from flying broomsticks and duel against Remus without blinking. You’re Kit, for fucks’ sake! You aren’t scared of anything, so get your butt out there and talk to you mum.”

“Kit?” Harry and Ron both asked at the same time Draco said, “Why on earth would you leap off a flying broomstick?”

Ignoring their questions, Veronica nodded. “You’re right. You are bloody right.”

She turned back to the door, shook her curls out, and set her shoulders back. Veronica took a deep breath before grabbing the door knob once more and pushing the door open.

 

~~~    ~~~    ~~~

 

 

Hermione watched as Veronica strode out of the hospital wing with the boys and the two Marauders following her.

Something was off about this girl. If she had been in school with Harry’s parents and the others, then how can she still look the way she did twenty years ago? Also, what she said about the wands not working for her in Ollivander’s is completely unheard of. What was wrong with Professor Lupin? Why would he react the way he did when he saw this strange vampire girl in the hospital wing?

The sudden gasp from the boys snapped Hermione out of her thoughts.

Hermione craned her neck over Draco’s shoulder in time to see Veronica with her back to the group, and Professor McGonagall, still dressed in her coat for the first Triwizard Tournament event, place trembling hands on the teenager’s face. Hermione had never seen her favorite professor display any emotions despite anger, frustration, or the occasional smile and smirk. 

The mixture of pain, relief, and love was written all over Professor McGonagall’s face. Veronica’s shoulders trembled as she attempted to hold in her sobs, but to no avail. As soon as McGonagall slipped her arms around Veronica’s torso in a fierce hug, Hermione could hear the harsh sobs escape both women.

Hermione heard a sniffle come from Harry’s father, and she looked up to see both Mr. Potter and Sirius gazing happily at the heartfelt sight in front of them. Surprisingly, Mr. Potter had tears in his eyes, and Sirius was grinning so broadly that Hermione thought his face might spilt in half. A figure appearing from behind a painting, most likely one of the many tunnels hidden around the castle, caught her attention. Hermione turned to see Professor Lupin leaning against the wall with his arms crossed, a watery smile on his lips as he watched his old friend reuniting with Professor McGonagall.

She turned back around to see Veronica step back but not letting go of Professor McGonagall’s hands. The older woman gazed down at the girl, looking her up and down, from her battered combat boots to the mop of chocolate colored curls on her head. McGonagall met the teenager’s eyes again, tears still making her skin glisten.

“Where have you been, Ronnie?” Professor McGonagall questioned her, completely throwing Hermione off by using the girl’s nickname. Hermione had never heard the woman address anyone by their full name, aside from Dumbledore, let alone by a nickname.

“Yeah, that’s what we would like to know,” Sirius’ voice echoed in the empty marble hallway.

Veronica turned to face the group, a grin on her lips that showed the tips of her fangs. McGonagall shook her head as she wiped her eyes and placed her hands on her hips.

“Why am I not surprised you three came to find her before I did?” Professor McGonagall asked, exasperatedly.

“Now, now, Minerva. No need to feel inadequate,” Sirius joked.

As if on cue, Mr. Potter, Professor Lupin, Professor McGonagall, and Veronica all rolled their eyes and shook their heads.

Professor Lupin removed himself from the wall and took his spot next to Sirius, clapping the man’s shoulder. “Please, ignore this, buffoon. He enjoys the attention too much,” Lupin apologized, an innocent smile on his face.

“I swear you boys will never change,” Veronica chastised.

“Do you solemly swear?” Mr. Potter asked, wiggling his eyebrows. Sirius, Harry, and Professor Lupin all snorted, while Veronica raised an eyebrow. Hermione, Ron, and Draco all exchanged amused looks but remained silent.

“I suppose I should explain where I have been this whole time. Problem is, I don’t really know myself,” Veronica explained. She crossed her arms tightly, hugging herself, her brows furrowed.

“I’m sorry, but did you just say you don’t know where you have been for the past twenty years? How is that even possible?” Harry blurted out.

“Harry,” Mr. Potter hissed at the same time Ron elbowed his best friend in the ribs.

“I think what Harry is trying to say, bloodsucker, is how exactly did you just disappear yet have positively no clue as to where?”  Draco said. Hermione’s jaw dropped at his use of such a derogatory word.

Professor McGonagall and the Marauders all snapped their heads at Draco.

Mr. Potter’s jaw tightened. “Draco, I thought you knew better than that.”

“Oi, you little prat, watch yourself!” Sirius whispered in such a deadly voice that even Hermione was frightened by.

 “Mr. Malfoy, you will not speak to my daughter that way,” Professor McGonagall’s voice had taken on the hard edge she used when she was particularly angry.

Hermione glanced at Professor Lupin, wondering why he had remained silent while the others all reprimanded Draco. He was staring at Veronica, not in a loving way or a creepy way. Professor Lupin was watching her as if he was worried the girl was mere seconds from breaking, and, when Hermione shifted her gaze, she too became worried that Veronica might. The other girl was still hugging herself, except now she was staring at the marble tiles. The look on her face was one of complete sadness and pain, and, for some reason, it hurt Hermione to look at her for too long.

 Sure, Hermione had heard Sirius use the same word and similar ones back in the hospital wing, but that way completely playful. This, the way Draco used the word, was meant to be horrible and painful. He wanted to hurt Veronica.

“With all due respect, Professor, but your _daughter_ disrespected my family and I in the hospital wing. Therefore, I believe my anger is rightly justified,” Draco spat at the grown-ups.

Professor McGonagall opened her mouth, but a voice cut him off.

“I apologize for interrupting, but I do believe it is time for Miss Kade to explain what happened to her twenty years ago. Don’t you agree, Minerva?” Professor Dumbledore asked.

Hermione hadn’t seen him approach the group, and, if the surprised expressions were anything to go off, neither had anyone else.

“Yes, I agree,” Professor McGonagall replied. She was still staring at Draco angrily.

“We should go find your mother,” Mr. Potter told Harry.

“Ah, yes. Mrs. Potter is currently in the Great Hall making quite a scene and keeps asking where exactly her son is,” Dumbledore said.

“Merlin’s beard. She’s going to kill me,” Harry muttered.

Mr. Potter chuckled. “Definitely. She knew where I was. You, on the other hand, have quite a bit of explaining to do, kiddo.”

Harry groaned at his father’s words. Mr. Potter began ushering the four of them away from the adults and down the hall.

Hermione heard Veronica ask Sirius and Professor Lupin, “Will you guys be here when I finish with all this?”

She glanced back to see the two men exchanged a look before nodding.

“Of course, Ronnie. You aren’t getting rid of us anytime soon,” Sirius replied, sending her a reassuring smile.

Veronica nodded and looked at Remus. He hesitated, opened his mouth once before shutting it and settling on nodding once more.

“Come along. The faster we do this, the faster you can come back before these friends of yours come steal you away,” Professor McGonagall told Veronica, ushering the girl towards the hall Dumbledore had begun walking down.

Mr. Potter had guided the group down the hall and was about to turn a corner when Veronica met Hermione’s eye. She was already turning the corner, but Hermione could have sworn Veronica had sent her a small smile.

Shaking her head, Hermione half-listened to the boys’ hushed conversation and Mr. Potter’s chastising as they headed to the Great Hall, a million questions bouncing around in her head.

 


End file.
